Sorry - long but don't let this happen to you

Sweet Lorraine

I'm in Lansing and looking in GR and Detroit for someone that can help.
I had a great photographer but after planning and a postponement there were some other things I wanted that were rather costly.
So I checked my contract and found I could cancel and possibly get a partial refund.
I spoke to my photog and was up front with them about why I wanted to cancel.
They were much more understanding than I expected and said if he could re-book he would refund my money. Well they did re-book and I got a refund.
Then I hired someone who had done a few weddings and looked like they could do a good job.
On the wedding day we stood around waiting for them to decide what to do next or ask me what I wanted. I thought they would know what to do.
The pictures? Well most are to dark or light, or the color is off, or it's blurred or just plain bad.
I have cried about this so many times and it's taken me a year to try and do something.
I have looked for people that can fix them and many say they can't or are very expensive.
My original photographer advertises on their site that they fix bad wedding photos but I couldn't bring myself to face him. So my mother in-law took the disk of photos in to him to see what he could do. He did not say to her that he knew me in the photos. We really only met twice but had spoken over the phone many times.
His prices are more reasonable but still twice what I paid the second photographer. He did fix a photo and gave my MIL a low res copy. It's beautiful. But, he will not do the work until he can speak directly with the bride and groom. He says he must have their approval of the changes because working working through a 3rd party causes problems.
It's so embarrassing.
Unless I can find a better alternative I'll probably do it but I just want people to know that you should do all you can to have an experienced photographer on your wedding day.
There is so much more to it than taking pictures and you don't get a do-over.
Those $500 deals are not usually deals at all.
Thank for letting me vent/cry a little.
If someone has a better idea I am all ears.

entropicbeauty

If you really don't want to put out a lot of money to get the photos fixed by this guy, is it a possibility you could correct yourself using something like photoshop? Maybe a friend has it and could teach you how to do some of the things that fixes photos?

Photoshop really is a miracle worker. What file format did your photographer give you your photos in? If you perchance got RAW file format for the photos you can fix a LOT of the problems with very little effort (essentially a RAW file can be "re-exposed" till it looks correct in photoshop). Even with a JPEG file there are a lot of little tricks that can quickly and accurately fix your photos (batch processing etc.).

Goodluck! If you have any questions about photoshop I might be able to help you (I actually worked for a while as an editor for a wedding photographer so I've got some experience in this).

finallytime37

The deals are for real.  You just have to make sure you trust them.  We paid $350 for our photographer (she's way more expensive now, but we got her before she got her break.)  We did an engagement shoot with her to get to know her, her style and how that worked with us.  It was amazing.  I would recommend doing your research and having a trial run. Deals can be good.

Ophelia0326

I understand that it's embarassing, but what's more important to you - saving face around a guy you'll probably never see again, or getting your photos fixed? If this guy can do it for a reasonable price...I'd probably just suck it up and go. Yes, it will probably suck, but I'm sure he'll understand that you're embarassed and if he's a professional, he won't make you feel bad about it. Good luck!

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_sorry-long-but-dont-let-this-happen-to-you?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:786b5755-e88c-46be-a774-3d89c6f9c513Post:72dba0c1-3ea2-464c-8845-893769ed8ce6">Sorry - long but don't let this happen to you</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm in Lansing and looking in GR and Detroit for someone that can help. I had a great photographer but after planning and a postponement there were some other things I wanted that were rather costly. So I checked my contract and found I could cancel and possibly get a partial refund. I spoke to my photog and was up front with them about why I wanted to cancel. They were much more understanding than I expected and said if he could re-book he would refund my money. Well they did re-book and I got a refund. Then I hired someone who had done a few weddings and looked like they could do a good job. On the wedding day we stood around waiting for them to decide what to do next or ask me what I wanted. I thought they would know what to do. The pictures? Well most are to dark or light, or the color is off, or it's blurred or just plain bad. I have cried about this so many times and it's taken me a year to try and do something. I have looked for people that can fix them and many say they can't or are very expensive. My original photographer advertises on their site that they fix bad wedding photos but I couldn't bring myself to face him. So my mother in-law took the disk of photos in to him to see what he could do. He did not say to her that he knew me in the photos. We really only met twice but had spoken over the phone many times. His prices are more reasonable but still twice what I paid the second photographer. He did fix a photo and gave my MIL a low res copy. It's beautiful. But, he will not do the work until he can speak directly with the bride and groom. He says he must have their approval of the changes because working working through a 3rd party causes problems. It's so embarrassing. Unless I can find a better alternative I'll probably do it but I just want people to know that you should do all you can to have an experienced photographer on your wedding day. There is so much more to it than taking pictures and you don't get a do-over. Those $795 - $995 deals are not deals at all. Thank for letting me vent/cry a little. If someone has a better idea I am all ears.
Posted by Sweet Lorraine[/QUOTE]